Vegetarian Caucus' Numbers, and Exposure, Grow

Elizabeth Kucinich, left, said that when she saw there were staffers who wanted vegan options on Capitol Hill, she wanted to help.

Erin Dominguez, a scheduler for Rep. Rubén Hinojosa, D-Texas, became a vegan a year and a half ago for health reasons, after both of her parents died from colon cancer.

The transition, Dominguez said, was tough, especially in a high-stress workplace and with friends and colleagues who didn’t follow or understand her new lifestyle.

So when she heard about the Vegetarian Caucus at the beginning of March — which at the time was just an informal staff association made up of 10 vegetarian and vegan House staffers who wanted to see more plant-based options in Capitol cafeterias — Dominguez jumped at the opportunity to join.

“You feel really alone,” Dominguez said about making the switch to veganism. “So it just feels good to know that there’s all these [vegetarians and vegans] right here on the Hill, and it feels good that there’s a support group that I didn’t even know existed.”

That was when the 10-member staff organization went public with its quest for better and more diverse vegetarian and vegan options in the eateries scattered throughout the Capitol complex. In the aftermath, 20 staffers, including Dominguez, reached out and joined the caucus’s efforts.

That interest turned into a standing-room-only kickoff luncheon on Monday; 200 staffers gathered for a vegan lunch and to learn about ways to live a healthy and sustainable plant-based lifestyle and get information about the caucus itself.

At the luncheon, 54 staffers signed up to join the organization, bringing the group’s membership to 84 in just eight weeks.

“We’re absolutely thrilled about the positive response so far, though also not particularly surprised,” said Madeline Rose, a legislative correspondent in Rep. Michael M. Honda’s office and one of the group’s founding members. “Nearly 5 percent of Americans identify as vegetarian and another 5 percent follow a ‘vegetarian-inclined diet.’ With those numbers, we still have a lot of vegetarians to find!”

Founding Vegetarian Caucus member Adam Sarvana, communications director for Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva, D-Ariz., said the group is excited about the amount of interest it has received.

“At first we just kind of felt like we’d like to see some better options in the cafeteria,” Sarvana said. “But then people started coming to us saying, ‘We’re glad you are finally doing something for us.’”

Sarvana added that the luncheon — co-hosted by the Vegetarian Caucus and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine — was the group’s way of not only seeking new members but also helping teach others about the benefits of their dietary lifestyles.

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March 13, 2015

Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call

Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., right, hugs Harold Schaitberger, General President of the International Association of Fire Fighters, after the Congressman spoke at the IAFF's Legislative Conference General Session at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill, March 9, 2015. The day featured addresses by members of Congress and Vice President Joe Biden.